4 Tips to Motivate Struggling Readers to DECODE, not GUESS!

As phonics teachers, we spend most of our time teaching our children to READ, and READ some more.  This is not always an easy task.  We take on this responsibility and are continuously searching for the right strategies and tools that will provide our young readers with ample opportunities to feel successful and look forward to reading.  I have a few tips and tricks to share with you!

Young readers are training their eyes to identify the many phonics rules as they read.  As we read, we are constantly on the look out for word chunks that will help us decode new words we encounter in the books we love.  To help my students locate these "word chunks" we have a color coded system that we call "gumballs".

My students use this system all day.  They color code their sight words, the articles, poems and word problems we read.  They even love to "gumball up" their own writing!  It is a wonderful sight to see how they thrive using this visual and kinesthetic approach to phonics.  And their work looks beautiful.  To learn more about our Gumball Collections click HERE.

Up until now, my students were simply using their crayons or highlighters to gumball up the word chunks during our phonics activities.  But look at what I discovered at Oriental Trading!!!!

Washable Mini Dot Markers!!!!

They work like a charm.  The dot is the perfect size for printed text for primary grades!

Before reading the passage, students do a bit of word work by hunting for the spelling pattern. One dot and their pages are color coded with the current phonics rule we are focusing on.  Then when it comes time to decode the text, their eyes are able to identify the word chunk immediately.

In the photo above, you can see how one of my students is highlighting the /ea/ phonics rule with one quick dab of the Washable Mini Dot Markers.  The kids love using them, I love them because they come in a variety of colors...to match our color coded system!  It's a win-win!  Be still my teacher heart. I'm in love with them!!!

I have also found providing my students with a Phonics Goal to encourage them to take ownership of their learning. I have created a set of 22 posters with "I can" statements to help my firsties focus on the spelling pattern we are studying in our differentiated Word Study Groups. If you would like to learn more about how we go about this click HERE.

Have you found some of your reluctant readers having trouble with one-to-one correspondence when reading from leveled texts?  This is such an important skill for emerging readers.  However, it can be frustrating when they slide their fingers across the text and just GUESS!

Look at these Arrow Finger Readers I discovered at Oriental Trading to motivate my struggling readers to slow down and decode each word:

My firsties were so excited to use these new tools.  It's amazing how your tactile learners thrive when you give them a simple tool to manipulate.  These Arrow Finger Readers were proven to motivate my young readers!

Using these simple yet effective manipulatives along with a little encouragement and reminders...

"Get your lips ready, kiddos and make that beginning sound...  

Look for the word chunks...

Stretch out the word until it makes sense..."

young readers begin to utilize the strategies you have taught them. They know them by name!  In fact we have "Reading Buddies" in our classroom that remind us of what to do when we come across a tricky word:

You can find this set of 8 Reading Strategies Posters with "I can" Statements at my TpT store:Reading Strategy Goals with "I can" Statements Poster Set

And there you have it.  4 Tips to Motivate Emergent Readers to
DECODE and not GUESS!

If you are interested in BOTH the Reading and Phonics Goal Posters Sets you can download both HERE as a bundled set:

Disclosure: The K Files & Oriental Trading partnered for the purpose of this post. I received free samples of Oriental Trading products, but all opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Words Their Way, OUR way Part 3: Planning for Differentiated Word Study Groups

Data drives instruction! You already have the data from the Qualitative Spelling Inventory. You already grouped your students. Your resources are ready. You are ready to “rock on”.

Planning for Differentiated Word Study Groups

I have a basket for each Word Study Group labeled with their "Rock Band" name right above my filing cabinet. Once the year is under way, within a third of my planning period I am able to pull resources for the next week’s Word Study groups in a pinch.

In each bin, I place the necessary resource files, leveled readers, games and other resources that will support that group’s word study.

If you would like to download a copy of the planning bin labels and related resources to help make planning your differentiated Words Their Way groups a breeze, visit my TpT store:

Differentiating Words Their Way: Organization & Routines BUNDLE

Pre-prep As you go…

Use your “high” group as your guide for the year. At the beginning of the year if your leading spellers (ex. Within Word group) are studying Long vs Short Vowels to start, make a class set because by the end of the year the groups that follow them will need them at varying times throughout the year. File the extra copies. Do the same for any other resources that support each spelling pattern such as reading passages and Anchor Activities. Follow suit with your second highest group, make a set of copies that will prep for subsequent groups following them (perhaps 3/4th of your class). Do the same for your third highest group (a set of copies for ½ of your class…etc. ) You will save yourself time at the copy machine. Be sure to stop this process three quarters through the year, because the other groups may not get as far as your leading group of spellers. This sounds tricky, but it’s a little helpful hint to make your prep a bit easier.

To be honest, at the beginning of the year, prepping for the following week’s word study will take up one of your planning periods (if you make your own copies).

Anchor Activities

When you are prepping your resources for your differentiated word study groups it is important to keep in mind that you will need to run additional copies of resources that you will include in the Anchor Activities folders.

When you are facilitating your morning tune ups (differentiated mini lessons), the students who are not working with the teacher are completing independent activities in their Anchor Activities folder or playing games that reinforce their Word Study for the week. If you have 4 groups running at a time, the students will be working independently for a total of 15 minutes when they are not “rehearsing” with the teacher, they will need to remain “anchored” in their learning.

If you would like a FREE copy of the Anchor Activities Cover and bin label you will find it at my TpT store:  Anchor Activities Folder Cover and Bin Label FREEBIE

The anchor activities folder contains a multitude of activities that reinforce and review the skills they have learned in previous tune-up lessons. Those worksheets include activities that will strenghthen their decoding skills for the word sort they are currently focusing on or have previously learned. The activities may include a reading comprehension worksheet, a puzzle, word search, and other various resources you have accumulated for each spelling stage.

It is important to note, that the students should be able to complete the anchor activity independently without teacher support. You may also throw in a few Math review worksheets as well.

Now that you have prepped your resources, you are ready to forge ahead with your differentiated Word Study groups. But before you do, I have some tips to help you motivate your students to achieve with goal setting!

To learn more, read 

Words Their Way, OUR way Part 4: Motivation & Goal Setting

If you would like to download a copy of the planning bin labels and related resources to help make planning your differentiated Words Their Way groups a breeze, visit my TpT store:

Differentiating Words Their Way: Organization & Routines BUNDLE

This is what is included:

This is a seven-part blog series.

Click below to jump right to what you need to know:

Words Their Way-- OUR Way PART 1: Getting Started

Words Their Way-- OUR Way PART 2: Getting Organized

Words Their Way-- OUR Way Part 3: Planning and Prep

Words Their Way-- OUR Way Part 4: Motivation & Goal Setting

Words Their Way-- OUR Way Part 5: Routine & Mini-lessons
Words Their Way-- OUR Way Part 6: Word Study Assessment
Words Their Way-- OUR Way Part 7: Read to Self as Word Study

Read to Self Bookmarks

As part of our Daily 5 routine my students follow a
"Must Do" and "Can Do" list.  

In addition to my students' Word Work during our Daily 5, one of their "Must Do" items is to Read to Self.  During this time the children are assigned a story to read from one of our decodable readers that reinforces their Word Study Goal.  (The students have the opportunity to choose what books to read later in the day during our Reader's Workshop or as a "Can Do" when they finish their Daily 5).

Since I have 5 differentiated word study groups (using the Words Their Way program), I have found it difficult to manage each group's reading assignment from the different sets of decodable readers that I have collected over the years.  I was using post-its, but that seemed like a waste of 20 post-its a day-they quickly disappear. I found it necessary to create bookmarks to mark the story to be read each day:

I currently use the decodable readers from the Journey's anthology that our district purchased for us.  I also saved the last set of readers from our previous anthology.  I have to admit, I finally have a nice supply of readers that allow for each group to have a story to read each day.  If I find I am a story short, I have several sets of reading comprehension passages that I have purchased and I provide them with a photocopy to keep.

Once I determine which decodable reader (and the story within) best matches each group's Word Study focus, I slip the bookmark right to the page and drop the books in their respective baskets!  

It takes me about 5 minutes to prep their Read to Self assignments each day...  now that I have created book marks as a management tool.  Not to mention, the kids LOVE using book marks!

Done & DONE!

Another plus...directions for the Read to Self assignment is printed on each bookmark to remind my young readers of what must be done.  You will notice that each Word Study group has a color coded bookmark with their group's name printed on it.  This makes it easy for my students to locate their Read to Self assignment for the day.

My students are also encouraged to jot down the words that contain that week's focus in a folder as they read. We call this notebook a "collection".  For example, if they are working on the long vowel sound of /ai/ they would list any words that contain that word chunk in their folder (we call word chunks  "gumballs" because we highlight them with a color coded circle). They love to see their collection of words grow.  This is their incentive. They also receive a real gumball after taking a weekly spelling test if they do well.  If you would like to learn more about our Gumballs Notebook please visit my post:

Our Interactive Phonics Notebook....Chunky Monkey's Gumballs!

As you can see, I have disguised Read to Self as a bit more... Word Work... and my firsties don't seem to mind.  Yours won't either.  It's a Win-Win!

If you would like to download a copy of the bookmarks, please visit my TpT store:

Read to Self Bookmarks

Our Interactive Phonics Notebook....Chunky Monkey's Gumballs!

Method & Theory:

I am sure you have met our friend Chunky Monkey! Our Chunky Monkey is a big fan of gumballs while reading. He is a fan of every color. In fact, he chooses a different color gumball to help him with difficult word chunks that he is learning. He uses these gumballs when he comes across the different word chunks:

Resource Tips:

I use this resource as a supplement to the Read to Self center as well as during Reader’s Workshop as supplemental word work. I am lucky to have a small group set of decodable readers with most of the “word chunks” that are included in this resource. I assign my differentiated groups with a decodable reader to hunt for the word chunks that we are currently working on in our small groups. They love to add to their collection of “gumballs”. After they have met the desired number of words on each page they earn a gumball for their gumball machine.

 

Printing Tips:

Print double sided beginning with the first worksheet page (short a). The margins are set so that when you assemble double sided copies, the margins will compensate for the binding of either a three-prong folder or binder.

Gumball Dividers:

Don’t forget to use those popular handy library leveling labels as book marks for each “gumball”. You’re going to have to hand-write them. Which can use up a TON of stickers. But I found them for only $1.70 with 1,000 per pack! A small price to pay for driving the point home to our little readers! Not only does it look awesome, but the kiddos will love seeing the collection of their gumballs (tab dividers) grow as you introduce them.

...and more to come!

You can purchase the GROWING set at my TPT store:

Interactive Phonics Notebook. Reader's Workshop Word Work Activities

Enjoy!